March 14 is Pi Day because the date (3/14) contains the first three digits of the number pi, or , the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.
But if we’re being honest, most people don’t get excited about Pi Day because they loooove geometry—they celebrate the holiday because it is a great excuse to eat pie. It’s also a great excuse to enjoy these historic photos of people making, serving, or eating pie.
1. Supporting the Troops
A Salvation Army workers makes donuts and pies for World War I troops in France in a photo from a 1920 issue of National Geographic.
2. Cooking Under Pressure
The Salvation Army makes pies on the European frontlines of World War I in a photo from 1918 of National Geographic.
3. Rhubarb Delight
A cook makes pies in Antartica around 1912.
4. Dinner Time
Muslim Uyghurs make mutton pies at a restaurant in Layka, Xinjiang, China, in 2008.
5. Savory Treats
A woman serves lumbermen pie near Eureka, California, around 1938.
6. Pennsylvania Pie
A Pennsylvania Dutch woman picks out apples for a pie in a cellar near Millersville. The photo appeared in a 1941 issue of National Geographic.
7. Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me
An Amish woman prepares cakes, mince pies, and shoo-fly pies in her kitchen in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The photo appeared in a 1965 issue of National Geographic.
8. Fresh From the Oven
A woman and her niece bake cherry pies in Washington island, Wisconsin. The photo appeared in a 1959 issue of National Geographic.
9. Apples to Apples
A farming family makes apple pies to store in the freezer in Prairie Township, Iowa. The photo appeared in a 1974 issue of National Geographic.
This feature originally appeared in National Geographic.
